First Concert Ever Attended

[MarkW]

I'm no statistician, but iIt seems to me that a relatively high proportion of MMJ fans had their first live experience with Iron Maiden in the 80s.

[walterfredo]

U2 - Brendan Byrne Arena,  East Rutherford, NJ - May 1987

I had to leave my freshman baseball practice early to attend and I was benched for the next game.  Worth it, though.

similar situation here... 

Phil Collins, Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA September, 1990.  Missed football practice and didn't get to start in the next game.  Oh well...Su... Su... Sussudio!

[pawpaw]

My first concert was some kind of Motown Revue in Sparks, Nevada. It was during Hot August Nights, and I would've been about 12 or 13. I don't remember who performed, but do remember the matching suits and dance moves. I was with my family and friends, and people sang along to the hits.

The first show I ever went to on my own was a punk show at the Guild Theater in Sacramento. Face to Face and Tilt played, along with 2 or 3 other bands. It was amazing, and I still remember how thrilling it was. It was in 1994, and I was 16. I started going to as many shows as I could over the next few years. Mid-90s, Sacramento All-Ages Venues FTW: Cattle Club, Crest Theater, Guild Theater.

[searchinbig]

Chicago, Doobie Brothers and Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ  1974
Never forget that smell for the first time. 

Nice one Mike! That was where I saw the first of many shows there growing up in J.C. Mine was Yes, summer of 76.

I guess it counts even though it was with family, and I was a kid, but one summer late 60's I saw the Cowsills, Beach Boys, and Duke Ellington in Atlantic City over the course of a week vacation.  I always count the Yes one as my first real concert though, mainly for that smell too.

Wow Eric! I was at that Yes concert also! If I recall it was one of the last shows there, something fell off the stage and killed somebody, gang fights, etc.

Small world, we met up again some 36 years later at a concert! 

And you saw Duke Ellington, holy crap that's cool.

[aperlst]

US Festival '83.  May, 1983 on heavy metal day....  I was a teenager with all my buddies and about 400,000 people, none of which were our parents.

Van Halen, Scorpions, Triumph, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osborne, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot.

Good times... good times.  I think my second was the Grateful Dead.  Wow.

Adam

[HansAndreas]

Metallica 1993

[LeanneP]

First concert with parents: Jan & Dean featuring Mike Love @ Ontario Place Forum, early 1980s

First concert with friends: The Spoons @ Hamilton Convention Centre, 1984

First concert I went solo to (and sat out for tix - ugh, such a waste!): Gowan, Hamilton Place, 1985

A few years later I started seeing local punk and "alternative" bands at bars around town until:

First concert I'm not cringing about: The Cramps, The Concert Hall, 1990

[he.who.forgets]

10/7/96
Pearl Jam with Ben Harper & the Fastbacks
Ft. Lauderdale Baseball Stadium

[ericm]

Chicago, Doobie Brothers and Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ  1974
Never forget that smell for the first time. 

Nice one Mike! That was where I saw the first of many shows there growing up in J.C. Mine was Yes, summer of 76.

I guess it counts even though it was with family, and I was a kid, but one summer late 60's I saw the Cowsills, Beach Boys, and Duke Ellington in Atlantic City over the course of a week vacation.  I always count the Yes one as my first real concert though, mainly for that smell too.

Wow Eric! I was at that Yes concert also! If I recall it was one of the last shows there, something fell off the stage and killed somebody, gang fights, etc.

Small world, we met up again some 36 years later at a concert! 

And you saw Duke Ellington, holy crap that's cool.

Haha. Great memory Mike! That did end up being the last summer of shows there, and anything that didn't have a signed contract got canceled after that night.

It wasn't a gang thing, as I actually knew both parties involved from school and Little League, and had friends that witnessed it.
A couple of drunk guys got into a fight,and the smaller guy ( who really knows why, but) .....broke a bottle and held it out to defend himself, and keep the big guy at bay. Unfortunately the big guy whether too drunk or tough decided to go at him anyway. The guy was swinging the bottle and when the big guy charged, caught him right in the throat, and ended up killing him. Totally messed up all around, but that put the kibosh on future shows. They had been looking to do away with the shows there for a while, and this was all they needed to put an end  to them. Too bad,imo. It was always a fun time there,and this was really the only violent thing I ever heard happen there. Actually I think someone got hurt real bad or killed trying to scale the big concrete walls outside at a show once too.

Too funny you saw that show, and like you said took us 36 years to meet and see a show together. I got a big kick out of your son, and really cool you had your whole family at the Brooklyn show. It was nice to meet and chat with all of you, and looking forward to the next time. I'm sure we'll have some more tales to tell.

[searchinbig]

Ahhh. Thanks for that info Eric. Great story. I'm amazed that I remembered anything about that. When you are a kid (15) those things stick with you. I do remember however that the show was awesome. I got sick before the show because I drank a six pack of Heineken and puked my brains out in the parking lot! Thank God my brother and sister were both with me or I may have gone down with the stadium.

[ericm]

Sounds like what happened to most of us at a show or two there at least once Mike! Must have been a rite of passage or something.

That was an amazing summer for show's there.  I saw Boz Scaggs during his Silk Degrees Tour open for The Eagles during their Hotel California Tour.

Bob Seeger/Night Moves - J Geils Band (forget the album) - Kiss/ Destroyer

Chicago, The Beach Boys, and who can forget the Grateful Dead show on July 4th that got postponed because of the Bi Centennial, OP Sail on the Hudson, and the huge influx of people into Jersey City. The Mayor and his cronies were worried about bringing in 50,000-100,000 Dead Heads into the mix for the weekend. It ended up being played in August, and even though I didn't get in, it was my first real introduction into the Dead lot scene. I swear there were more people in the lot than inside. Good times....     

[Taterbug]

Beach Boys, 1974 Milwaukee.  My Mom took my brother & I ,   I was 7 and Fucking Cranky. Who the fuck are the Beach Boys and why are they so loud, goddamnit stop throwing the beach balls at me ,  Mom I think someone got sprayed by a skunk somewhere close by. 

[oistheone]

Beach Boys, 1974 Milwaukee.  My Mom took my brother & I ,   I was 7 and Fucking Cranky. Who the fuck are the Beach Boys and why are they so loud, goddamnit stop throwing the beach balls at me ,  Mom I think someone got sprayed by a skunk somewhere close by. 

My first concert experience was No Doubt at Maple Leaf Gardens, with my dad in the spring of 1997. Sweet show!

[lucylew]

Hard Promises, Stop Draggin' My Heart Around and Cal Expo in Sacramento. 

[iLikeBeer]

A very interesting mix of old and young fans here, but y'all know that already.  My actual first concert was Barry Manilow in '81.  Due to my mom being a "fan," but she didn't even go to the concert.  My mom would never have let me go see KISS in '79 on the Dynasty tour, although I was a huge fan at the time.  My best friend had his "birthday party" there.  I tell alot of people that was actually my first concert, but it is a lie. 
Don't judge me.  You don't know me. 

My first "real" concert was Billy Idol on the Rebel Yell tour. I was supposed to see Van Halen on the 1984 tour, but I got a "D" or "F" on my report card in Physical Science (8th Grade), and that was the punishment.  Man, knowing what I know now, I certainly would have studied my Periodic Table better!! Thought I'd see them again, but as Patterson Hood once elequently exclaimed "The rest as they say, is history." 

I did see some great shows in the 80's.  Saw the previously mentioned Iron Maiden Powerslave tour, when Twisted Sister opened.  Saw DLR a couple of times.  Those were good times, I don't care what anyone says.

I saw that tour as well.  Made me no longer a Billy Idol fan.  He was awful live?! 

[Jaimoe]

Beach Boys, 1974 Milwaukee.  My Mom took my brother & I ,   I was 7 and Fucking Cranky. Who the fuck are the Beach Boys and why are they so loud, goddamnit stop throwing the beach balls at me ,  Mom I think someone got sprayed by a skunk somewhere close by. 

My first concert experience was No Doubt at Maple Leaf Gardens, with my dad in the spring of 1997. Sweet show!

More like child abuse.

[manonthemoon]

Rolling Rock Town Fair 2001

STP
Deftones
Live
Tantric
Oleander
Staind

and a field full of mud, so awesome as deftones killed it

[Jaimoe]

The first concert I ever attended was an Our Lady Peace show.

Yup.

As a Canadian, I feel your pain.

[LD]

June 1985 Iron Maiden - World Slavery Tour - Peoria, IL

Setlist:

Intro - Churchill's Speech

Aces High
2 Minutes to Midnight
The Trooper
Revelations
Flight of Icarus
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Guitar Solo
The Number of the Beast
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden

Encore:
Run to the Hills
Running Free

Encore 2:
Sanctuary 


Honestly, I don't remember much of it other than being jammed pack amongst a lot of head bangers and being visually stimulated with all the skull props on stage.  My friend Davey, who had a crush on me, took me and got me too stoned hence the memory loss.   

I saw this show 6 months earlier(12/18/84) in ST Louis. Understand about the memory loss... what I remember best is the fanatical Maiden crowd, me included, practically booing TwistedSister off the stage and the 30 foot Eddie at the end.
Considering your memory issues, how did you come up w/ setlist? 

Thank god they have something called archive

[Eweezy]

July of 1995....Live at the Miami Arena....right when "Throwing Copper" was getting big.  Big Audio Dynamite was the opener....great show, even though we were in the nose bleeds.